


(don't) tickle me pink

by scorchion



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, i dunno if that counts?? maybe first kiss for their relationship i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:01:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27318181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scorchion/pseuds/scorchion
Summary: "Maybe, if Issei hadn't been high from lack of oxygen, he would've kept the following words to himself, 'Can I kiss you?'Time slows to a stop.Issei wants to turn it back, to take those words and shove them back down his throat."
Relationships: Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei
Comments: 2
Kudos: 80





	(don't) tickle me pink

"God, this is so dumb!" Issei borderline yells as he flops back onto the couch, "They're so dumb!" 

"Are you still bitching about your physics lab?" Takahiro says from the doorway of the Matsukawas' kitchen.

Issei folds his arms and leans backward on the couch, looking upside down at the stairwell behind him, "Yes." 

After giving the stairs a death glare, Issei violently sits up and focuses his glare on his now-closed laptop. A few moments later, Takahiro comes into the living room and sets down two mugs of peach tea on the coffee table. 

"You did email Yokofuda-sensei, right?" 

"Yeah, I did, he says he's not going to give the other two credit because they didn't do the project, but still," the couch groans when Takahiro sits next to him, "I had to do all of it. We've had this lab for a week, they should've done their work earlier. We're in honors classes for fuck's sake."

A mug is pressed into his hands, "Thank you."

There's a brief silence as Issei composes his thoughts, he hears the clinking of metal on earthenware as Takahiro stirs his own tea.

"They're taking advantage of me, y'know?" Issei takes an angry sip from his mug, "They know I'll get my work done on time, so they just assumed that if they don't do their work, I have the free time to do it for them. Which is untrue because we have practice most of the time, but I actually know how to manage my time so it looks like I have time to spare." 

Takahiro gives a thoughtful hum, then sets his cup down on the coffee table. Issei follows suit.

"Like, I have a life. I'm not a workaholic, there are things I want to do and need to do; I can't just pick up the pieces for you. Does that make sense?" 

Another hum. 

"It's just so frustrating because they're gonna come up to me tomorrow and be like, 'oh no, Matsukawa I'm sorry! Can you take back what you said to Yokofuda-sensei? My grade dropped, buh, buh, buh.' Shut up, I don't care. You're not allowed to complain because you didn't do the work. Y'know what I'm saying?"

Silence. 

Issei waits for a response, he just threw a lot at his friend, and he knows that Takahiro isn't the best at putting his thoughts into words. 

After a minute or so, no response comes.

Normally, Issei would be patient and give Takahiro more time, but his resentment towards his freeloading classmates bleeds into his patience reserves and makes him unnecessarily harsh.

"Are you even listening to me?" He snaps, whipping his head around to glare at his friend. 

Takahiro's eyes widen at the sudden exclamation, "Yeah, I'm listening."

"I feel like you're not." 

"I am!" Takahiro sidles closer to him on the couch, his expression changing to something more sinister, "I promise you, I am."

At first, Issei pays the expression and changes in Takahiro's tone no mind, but his friend's odd behavior makes the mental puzzle pieces click together. 

The odd silence, the scheming expression, their proximity…

It all makes sense now.

"No, don't you dare," Issei growls, eyes narrowing.

Takahiro doesn't listen, the Cheshire grin on his face growing wider as he inches closer and closer to him. 

"Hanamaki, I swear to God. Do not." 

Issei tries to scoot away from him, but the arm of the couch gets in the way and effectively traps him. He attempts to kick Takahiro away, but it doesn't work. 

"Please. Don't," he says, voice softer this time.

It's too late. Takahiro launches his attack. Outstretched hands descend on his sides. 

"No! No, ahaha! No, no, no, stop!" 

Issei flails wildly as Takahiro's fingers assault his sides, tickling him without mercy. He tries desperately to squirm out of the way and grasp at his friend's wrists, but he evades every time. 

"I hate you," Issei chokes out between giggles. 

Takahiro ignores him and starts ticking his neck, he squeals and blindly grasps at Takahiro's wrists once again. Somehow, he manages to grab them. Once he gets a hold of them, Issei squeezes and pulls the offending hands away from his neck. Takahiro tries, in vain, to tickle him again. 

"Stop." 

He's ignored, Takahiro continues to try and push his hands towards him.

Issei squeezes harder, "I said stop."

"Ow, ow. Jesus, okay, I get it. I'll stop."

"Thank you," he lets go of Takahiro, who rubs at his wrists, "Sorry."

"No, it's okay. Feel better?"

Issei pauses for a minute, now that he's thinking about it, yes, he actually does feel better.

"Yeah."

Takahiro smiles at him, "Good.”

Issei returns the smile and stares at his friend, taking in the blush on his cheeks, the way his eyes crinkle at the corners, and the pink of his lips. Something in his gut starts screaming at him to pull Takahiro closer, to seal the gap between them. 

Maybe, if Issei hadn't been high from lack of oxygen, he would've kept the following words to himself, "Can I kiss you?"

Time slows to a stop.

Issei wants to turn it back, to take those words and shove them back down his throat. 

Sure he's had thoughts like those before, but never, never, has he ever voiced them out loud, let alone to Takahiro, the object of said thoughts and affections. 

Issei wants to run away, to hide, maybe lay in a ditch and hope for death, but the words are out there. The only thing he can do now is wait. 

"What?"

"Um," Issei really wants to go dig his own grave right now, "N-nothing."

"Uh-huh, yeah, sure," Takahiro says, sarcasm laced into his tone, but as he continues, there's hesitancy, "You asked if you could...kiss...me, right?" 

Well, it's too late to say he didn't, "Maybe."

"What if I said yes?"

Issei blinks. Once. Twice.

"Are you serious?" 

Takahiro avoids his gaze, "Maybe." 

Tentatively, Issei lets his fingers glide up Takahiro's neck to cradle the back of his head. He lets his eyes flutter shut.

The few seconds it takes to guide Takahiro towards him feels like an eternity.

Then, their lips touch.

It's feather-light, a barely-there press. In all honesty, it's very anticlimactic. 

Issei lets go of Takahiro's head, allowing both of them to pull back and look at each other. Takahiro's eyes flick across his face, Issei drinks in as much of him as he can. 

"Matsu—no, Issei, again." 

"Again?" 

"Again."

Issei cups Takahiro's face, "Are you sure?"

The shorter leans into the touch, "Yes." 

So Issei kisses him again. And again. And again. 

Each one is so much better than the last, there's more warmth, more purpose, more determination. Issei feels like a man starved, his hands scrabbling at Takahiro's back, trying to touch as much as he possibly can. The latter reciprocates with just as much enthusiasm, if not more. 

Takahiro licks at the seam of his lips and Issei whines, "Hana—'Hiro, ah."

"Mm, Issei," Takahiro groans.

They part for a second, taking each other in once again. Takahiro starts to lean in for another kiss, but the sound of the stairs creaking makes Issei shove him away with more force than necessary. The two of them give each other a bewildered look then turn to look at the stairwell. 

Issei's mom appears before them.

She gives the two of them a wave, "Hi, boys, how's homework going?" 

"Uh, good. We finished already," Issei says. 

It's not a total lie, he's done everything that's due for tomorrow. 

She gives her son a smile, "That's great! What do you guys want for dinner? I was thinking of ordering takeout."

Takahiro pipes up, "That sounds good."

"Where are you planning on getting it from, Mom?" 

"The usual place. Do you want sesame chicken, Iss?"

Issei sits up properly, "Yeah. How 'bout you, ‘Hiro?"

"Uh, I dunno, can I see the menu?" 

Issei's mom walks into the kitchen and rifles through some of the papers they have stored on a wall shelf. 

She pulls one out and hands it to Takahiro, "Sure, here." 

... 

Takahiro ends up getting chicken lo mein. The three of them sit in the kitchen, talking about school, practice, just trying to make small talk until they finish eating. 

Issei finishes all of his food, Takahiro picking at the remnants of his own until Issei offers to eat it for him. Once they're both done, Issei rinses out their takeout containers and puts them in the recycling. 

He thanks his mom for getting the food and excuses the both of them, grabbing his laptop and both of their backpacks while Takahiro picks up their forgotten tea and follows Issei upstairs. 

When they're both in Issei's room, the door closed behind them, Takahiro downs the rest of his tea, making a face after he swallows the last of it. 

"What's wrong?" Issei asks as he sets their stuff down. 

"Cold tea isn't great." 

"What are you talking about? It's completely fine," Issei reaches for his cup.

Takahiro hands it over and snorts, "You're gross." 

Issei rolls his eyes as he chugs the rest of his tea. The moment he sets the cup down, Takahiro wraps his arms around his waist. 

Issei puts a hand on his head, "Hi." 

"Hello," Takahiro murmurs into his shoulder. "I didn't think you liked me like that." 

"Well, neither did I." 

Takahiro lets go of Issei and plops down onto his bed, "When did you start liking me?"

Issei sits down next to him, he stares at the wall, thinking, "I dunno, actually. It kinda just happened, I guess. Maybe a few months into our first year?" 

"Really?"

"Yeah, I think so." 

He hears a rustle of fabric and feels a sudden gust of air as Takahiro lays down on top of his comforter, "Y'know, we're both really stupid." 

"Why?" Issei looks over at his friend.

"Because it's the same for me." 

"Oh." 

He flops down onto the bed next to Takahiro, a comfortable silence washes over them. Wandering fingers find his hand, he interlaces them. 

"Are we dating now, Issei?" 

"I dunno, do you want to be?" 

Quiet. 

"I guess so." 

Issei turns to look at Takahiro, "Then, yes. Yes, we are dating." 

The smile he gets would make Issei swoon if he wasn't already laying down, "Cool." 

Takahiro leans over and kisses him once again. 

...

Tuesday morning, Takahiro and Issei walk onto school grounds, hands intertwined. A few meters away from the gate, Oikawa and Iwaizumi meet up with them.

During practice, both of them, along with the rest of the team, don't seem to notice anything different between the two of them. 

It's not until Issei's changing into his school uniform that things start to go awry.

"Ooh, Mattsun, who's the lucky girl?" Oikawa chirps as he tightens the knot on his tie.

"Lucky girl?" 

Oikawa presses a finger to his bare collar bone, "What's this?" 

Issei looks down at his collar, underneath Oikawa's finger, where a purplish mark is starting to fade. He feels his face start to heat up, and he glances over at Takahiro, whose face is already beet red. 

"Uh, n-nothing?"

The team captain gives him a quizzical look, "Doesn't seem like nothing. Makki! You look like you know something. Spill!" 

"Oi, Shittykawa, leave them alone. They obviously don't want to share," Iwaizumi says, the nonchalance in his voice a stark contrast to Oikawa's whining. 

"But Iwaaa-chaaan, we've all been friends for a long time, don't you think we should be sharing details like that with each other?"

Iwaizumi finishes adjusting his blazer, then turns around and knocks Oikawa on the back of the head.

He completely ignores his childhood friend's whining and starts speaking, "Dumbass, if they don't want to share, don't force them. Have you ever heard of the word 'consent?'" 

Oikawa pouts and sticks his tongue out at him before crossing his arms and giving Issei and Takahiro a look that makes him feel like all of his secrets have been stripped bare. 

He points at Takahiro, "Makki c'mere." 

The taller boy fusses with the buttons of his dress shirt, "N-no?" 

"Hm," Oikawa narrows his eyes and scrutinizes the both of them. 

A tense silence stretches between the four of them. Iwaizumi tries to hit Oikawa again and get him to stop, but he dodges this time.

"Mattsun, Makki, are you two...dating?" 

Issei and Takahiro share a look.

"No," says Takahiro.

"Yes," says Issei. 

Oikawa continues to analyze them.

Takahiro gives Issei the most betrayed look, "I thought we weren't gonna tell them."

"I thought we were," Issei looks at him, amusement dancing in his eyes. 

Takahiro scrutinizes him, then raises his hands like claws. 

"'Hiro, no." 

"'Hiro, yes." 

Then Issei’s struggling to hold himself up as Takahiro assaults him with his fingers. He screeches and pleads for mercy while Oikawa and Iwaizumi stand near the door, watching the chaos unfold.

"You're the worst," Issei chokes out. 

Takahiro pauses in his harassment, "You love me." 

"No, not for that I don't."

"Then what about this then?"

Takahiro grabs the two ends of Issei's untied tie and pulls him in close. He gives Issei a warm look, then presses their lips together. 

In the background, he can hear Oikawa chanting, "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!" and Iwaizumi telling him to shut up and be quiet. 

He smiles into the kiss, partially because of his friends' antics, but mostly because of his wonderful, wonderful boyfriend, Hanamaki Takahiro.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I hope you enjoyed the fic, any kudos or comments would be much appreciated, it always makes me happy to see that people like my work.
> 
> If you wanna come scream at me about Haikyuu, come check out my [Twitter](https://twitter.com/scorchions)!
> 
> Also, I wrote this fic with the help of [this](https://www.squibler.io/dangerous-writing-prompt-app) website. It forced me to keep writing and get my ideas down without stopping, maybe it'll be helpful to you too. :)


End file.
